


After a Hurricane Comes a Rainbow

by Laisaxrem



Series: This is Us (english version) [19]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen, Godaime Tsunade - Freeform, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Short One Shot, Tsunade doesn't give a fuck, and Shikamaru doesn't want it, i love them, my babies got a promotion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:34:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28591842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laisaxrem/pseuds/Laisaxrem
Summary: A week has passed since the end of the war and Sakura, who has been busy all that time with the wounded in the fighting, has been summoned by the Hokage for a formal hearing. With her there's Shikamaru.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Nara Shikamaru, Haruno Sakura & Tsunade, past!Haruno Sakura/Nara Shikamaru
Series: This is Us (english version) [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1976788
Kudos: 20





	After a Hurricane Comes a Rainbow

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [After a Hurricane Comes a Rainbow](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27942830) by [Laisaxrem](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laisaxrem/pseuds/Laisaxrem). 



> DATE: Friday, 18th October 1679  
> TITLE: Firework - Katy Perry
> 
> Okay then. I'm working on some stories covering the early years of the This Is Us world. I realized I have too many things to say when Kakashi and Sakura are together, when there are children, but also for other couples like Gaara and Lee and about the evolution of characters like Sasuke. And to tell the aftermath I need a bit of background. I thought I hated that phase and instead I'm discovering that I also like to tell stories that are not about ships. The downside is that the world is growing further. But I'll find the key to the problem sooner or later. In the meantime I hope not to bore my few readers. It must also be said that, as I am constructing these stories, each one is essentially an almost independent one shot. Certain information essential to understand a story, information that may have already been given in another fic, is repeated so that a reader not interested in a certain character or a certain ship can easily understand the story even without reading all the fic of the collection . Yes I know it's a mess.

Sakura opened her eyes and for a moment felt disoriented, dazed by where she was. Then she recognized the familiar photograph of Team 7, the dresser, the coffee table and sighed as she settled back into the warm blankets.

She was at home. Everything was fine.

The war was over.

It had taken nearly a week to transfer all the wounded from the battlefield to their respective Villages, and while her companions had shuttled back and forth, she and the other iryō-nins had remained in the Village to attend to their treatment. They had been intense days, studded with screaming shinobi, operations, death. Despite the enormous amount of chakra stored in the Byakugō, Sakura was always exhausted. She had talked about it with Tsunade, one evening over a glass of hot sake, worried that maybe the seal was not working as it should, that something had been wrong during the activation. That she had failed in that too. But her shishō had smiled at her and reached out to put a hand in her hair, reassuring her that she had done everything perfectly. «You have to be patient, kid», she had said later. «You activated it after only three years of training, in the midst of a war and immediately put it to test, first healing a large part of the Allied Army and then keeping Obito alive for those dimensional journeys. You have to give yourself time. Don’t always be so damn impatient». And Sakura had calmed down. After all, who better than Tsunade was able to understand how her Byakugō worked?

So she had gone back to work again, day after day, night after night. And by the time the losses had been less and less, the permanent damage to her fellow shinobi more and more rare. Sakura had begun to breathe a sigh of relief; now that even her less able colleagues could take care of patients she had been able to dedicate more time to both Gai-sensei and Naruto (and Sasuke) glad that the stump of her friend’s arm had healed properly even though there it would take a long time to go about the project she and Tsunade were thinking about. It was going to be a long and tiring job, they both knew, but Sakura was confident.

The day before, she had even taken a break to watch Kakashi-sensei, Sai and Yamato-taichō train. It had been relaxing and for a moment she had been tempted to join the fight, but she knew her job right now was to take care of the wounded and she didn’t want to waste chakra on unnecessary activities; there would be time later, when everyone had been safe and cared for within the walls of the Village, to return to her daily routine and enjoy this new peace.

However, Tsunade had ordered her to take half a day off that morning and to come to the office by ten. Sakura finally peeked at the alarm clock she kept beside her bed and sighed. She only had half an hour and she also had to take a shower. It was really the case to hurry up.

* * *

It was a couple of minutes to ten when Sakura used the Shunshin to teleport from her apartment to the courtyard outside the Hokage building. It was a technique she never used because she felt like she was wasting more chakra than she needed but she had to admit that she understood perfectly why Kakashi-sensei used it all the time: it was damn useful, especially for her who hated being late. Maybe it was worth taking a few hours of training to make the jutsu as effective as possible.

Leaning against the wall next to the entrance door was Shikamaru, his eyes fixed on the sky, his shoulders slightly hunched, a cigarette between his lips.

After they had lost their virginity together a couple of years earlier, Sakura had felt embarrassed in his presence for a while. But it was Shikamaru. One day he had come to her during one of her training sessions at Training Ground 17, with dango and his pocketable shōgiban. They had eat together while Sakura caught her breath and then he had torn her up in three games in a row and everything was back to normal. They had had sex a couple more times over the next few months and each time they found their balance over a plate of dango and a game of shōgi. Their friendship was strengthened and Sakura could not regret those three nights spent together.

«Hey, Shikamaru», she greeted, approaching with a smile. He averted his dark eyes from the sky and pointed them at her, returning the greeting with a nod and a light stretch of the lips. He seemed thoughtful… well, _more_ thoughtful than usual, at least, and Sakura worried a little.

It was normal to see a gloomy Shikamaru, since the War was over, and Sakura certainly couldn’t blame him: not only had he lost his father but in a few minutes he had also had to take on his shoulders the weight of managing the strategy of the whole Allied Army with the knowledge that his mistake would result in loss of human lives. It was terrifying and psychologically potentially devastating. Once again Sakura felt anger mount at the appalling lack of psychological support Konoha was giving to its shinobis. She had only been a doctor for a few years but she had seen so many ninjas suffering from untreated post-traumatic stress disorder that had put them at risk. Shikamaru was just one on the list (and Kakashi-sensei was definitely in first place, with an emotional and psychological background traumatic enough to break anyone… Sakura sometimes wondered how he had managed to not left the Village many years ago and her esteem for him increased exponentially) but that didn’t stop her from worrying about her friend.

It was also quite unusual to see him at the Hokage palace.

Like every ninja of Konoha and the whole Alliance, over the previous days he had been busy transporting the wounded and patrolling the walls of the Village. In fact, the Hokage building had remained practically empty all week, with Tsunade often in the hospital dealing with the most serious patients. Also with Shikaku’s death, Shikamaru had effectively become the new head of the Nara clan and Sakura knew that, just like Ino, he too was trying to catch up with the business of the clan which, among others, included endless hours of meetings with the clan elders and other distinguished members.

Therefore Sakura found herself unconsciously raising her eyebrows as she scrutinized the young man: in that situation she certainly did not have time to hang around outside the Hokage building; therefore Sakura’s mind led her to only one solution.

«Have you been summoned by Tsunade-shishō?» she asked, uncertain. And when he nodded her chest tightened in a vice.

It couldn’t be a mission, could it? No, it couldn’t, it was too early. Eight days. Eight goddamn days couldn’t have been the maximum of peace granted them. What the fuck, they had not yet finished recovering all the bodies of their companions, had not yet buried all the victims or finished the period of mourning and already had to resume with the battles and murderers? Sakura knew that that was the life of every shinobi and she would never regret her choice… but what the fuck!

Perhaps her discomfort could be read on her face because Shikamaru stubbed out his cigarette and casually placed a hand on her shoulder before walking towards the door without a word. Shaking her head Sakura dismissed those thoughts and followed her friend into the palace.

* * *

Sakura and Shikamaru had been standing in the middle of the Hokage office for more than ten minutes now.

Tsunade had invited them in immediately, when they knocked, but then she had ignored them, continuing to work on a series of papers and scrolls scattered on the desk, her brow furrowed, a chain of not-so-whispered swears that came out of her lips. Shizune was not there, most likely busy in the hospital, and normally Sakura would have rushed to the rescue of her shishō with whatever it was that was giving her all those headaches; but she had been summoned by the Hokage for what appeared to be an official reason and would not break protocol.

So she waited. And she waited, and she waited.

Exactly twenty-seven minutes and forty-one seconds after their entry, Tsunade slammed her fist hard on the table, cracking it terribly, and exploded in a «that they all go fuck themselves!». Sakura didn’t even flinch but made a mental note to ask Yamato-taichō to fix it… again.

«What are you two doing here», the woman barked when she finished venting her anger against the furniture.

«You summoned us, Tsunade-shishō», Sakura pointed out in her best calming tone, and finally the angry frown disappeared from her face.

«Right right. Finally a happy note. I wanted to inform you that you have been promoted jōnin».

Silence.

Sakura blinked like an owl trying to figure out if she had misunderstood the words. But as much as she repeated them in her mind, changing syllables or reversing the order (Tsunade sometimes spoke strange when she had a hangover), she could not find a possible sensible alternative.

«What do you mean?» she finally asked, earning a raised eyebrow.

«I mean that you have been promoted jōnin. What else is that supposed to mean?» the Hokage clarified, settling more comfortably on the chair and crossing her arms under her breasts, a smile curving her red lips. «Or, rather, you will _soon_ be promoted to jōnin. Always that damned bureaucracy».

«I’m sorry, Hokage-sama », Shikamaru interjected, the usual bored expression on his face. Sometimes Sakura wondered if her friend had some hidden corner of his mind that he would hide in and that allowed him to react casually to any news. «But I’m pretty sure I’ve never applied for the upgrade. In fact, I’m not interested at all».

«What interests _you_ does not interest _me_ , kid», Tsunade replied, giving him a not at all friendly look that had made ninja far more skilled than Shikamaru shiver but which seemed to have no effect on him. «In fact, it was _I_ who filled out the forms for you. I accept bottles of sake as a gesture of thanks; my favourite one is Junmai Daiginjo… just so you know».

«Shishō…» Sakura began, uncertain. «Forgive me but… There are very specific rules for promotion to jōnin. Missions of a certain level to lead, recommendations and much more».

«I am well aware of that. And you two meet all the requirements».

«Except we never applied», Shikamaru muttered in a low but perfectly audible tone.

«Did you say something, brat?» Tsunade asked, her voice threatening as she cracked her fingers. Shikamaru shrugged in his usual bored way but said nothing more. «Just what I thought. I was saying? Ah, sure, the requirements». Bending down, Tsunade pulled a bottle of sake and a small porcelain glass from one of the drawers. Sakura raised an eyebrow; she was pretty sure that that particular bottle of fine liquor, a gift from the Raikage, had been seized three days earlier in a joint action between her and Shizune. How… Ah, stupid question. Sake always found a way back to Tsunade, sooner or later. «You must be recommended by at least five jōnins or tokubetsu jōnins in order to apply for promotion. You have dozens of them. It also takes at least eighty D-rank, forty C-rank, twenty B-rank, and ten A-rank missions. There should be some kind of exam; you should be assigned to particular missions, both as a captain and as a subordinate, in which you would be evaluated by the other shinobi on the team. Normally at least. But it has been decided that your contribution to the War has amply proved your abilities even without all this bullshit».

«“It has been decided”?» Sakura asked uncertainly.

She knew her shishō and her rather aggressive way of being. Being jōnin was a huge responsibility. Only the best shinobis in Konoha were honoured with that title and the idea of becoming one only because Tsunade had essentially forced the Council to approve… well, Sakura didn’t want to spend the coming years proving that she deserved her rank to any ninja that passed in her path. Not that she couldn’t, really. Fuck, she’d nearly matched Godaime’s medical skills in just three years and knew she was a damn skilled kunoichi but she didn’t want to prove it to any idiot who was put under her command.

«I know what you’re thinking and it’s not like that at all», Tsunade said, probably reading what was going through her head on her face. Sometimes she was worried that the Hokage could read her so easily, but then she thought it was just a symptom of the time they had spent together over the past three years and her heart warmed up a bit. She loved Tsunade like a mother and she knew that that affection was reciprocated. «It was a unanimous decision. Even Hyūga Hiashi agreed with me. In fact, the only ones who opposed it were the Elders», the woman continued and this surprised Sakura a little. So Tsunade _really_ didn’t have to leverage her charge (and violence) to make them jōnin. Okay, to say she was amazed was an understatement. «For them you are both too young and you, Sakura, do not have a good enough pedigree… yes, they really said “pedigree”», she specified, disgust evident both in her voice and in every cell of her body. Absently the Godaime brought the glass back to her lips. «What idiots. I told them that I would adopt you into the Senju clan and make you my heir if they didn’t stop acting like they had a stick up their asses».

And there was the woman she knew.

«Shishō…» she scolded her, but it was impossible to hold back a half smile.

«Don’t look at me that way, brat. You know what I think of those two. However. Congratulations!» she exclaimed, slamming her hand on the table again, right next to the rift that finally gave way, turning into a crack that ran through the whole wood. Yamato-taichō would not have been happy at all. «I’ll call you when it’s official. And now go away». And with a dry wave of her hand she encouraged them to leave the office.

They both ducked their heads in a bow and hurried to follow orders.

Once in the open air, Sakura smiled and looked at her companion in adventure.

«So. Jōnin, huh. Congratulations». Shikamaru snorted loudly and pulled a cigarette from his pocket. «Oh, come on. You should have expected it now that you are the Head of your clan. And it is an honour; for the both of us».

«An honour I never wanted», grumbled the ninja between one puff of smoke and another. «All I wanted was to live an ordinary life and marry –»

«Yeah, yeah, marry an ordinary woman, have two children, first a girl and then a boy, etcetera, etcetera, and die playing shōgi», she interrupted him, raising her eyes to the sky. It had always seemed strange to her to even think a thing like this, especially with a brain like Shikamaru’s. «Too bad you fell in love with Temari, who is anything but ordinary, and that you yourself are too extraordinary to live a normal life. So stop complaining all the time. You are not credible».

«What a drag».

Sakura laughed heartily.

«You know, you will be a very good jōnin-sensei for Mirai when the day comes».

«We’ll see», he said, but the smile curving his lips told her that he too was thinking of his beloved sensei’s daughter. «Goodbye, Sakura».

«Bye, Shikamaru. Make sure you don’t disappear under a rock now». And still smiling she shunshined to the hospital. She had work to do.

**Author's Note:**

> So, a couple of notes.  
> First of all, the matter of promotion to jōnin. We have no indication from Kishimoto, not that I know of at least. So everything I've written is my very personal headcanon, partially inspired by other fics I've read over the years. Also in this regard in the stat of the databook number-I don't-remember Kishimoto tells us that Sakura has 12 D-rank, 9 C-rank, 6 B-rank, 7 A-rank while Naruto and Sasuke have 7 D-rank, 1 C-rank, 2 B-rank, 6 A-rank. Now. We know that the boys have no longer done official missions from the chūnin exams so removing those in common we would have that Sakura did 5 D-rank, 8 C-rank, 4 B-rank, 1 A-rank in almost three years. Absolutely impossible and unacceptable, in my opinion. Okay, she trained a lot under Tsunade's guidance but I can't believe she's done so few missions. So yes, Sakura has enough missions for me to become jōnin. And I will talk about it on other occasions.  
> Now, why didn't I get others to promote jōnin as well, you will ask. Naruto for exemple. For him I keep what they tell us in the anime: he must first study and refine certain characteristics. Power isn't everything. Among other things, you need strategy and the ability to guide others, even with words. I think both Shikamaru and Sakura have these characteristics. I don't think so for other characters like Kiba and so on.  
> There was something else I had to say but I don't remember now.


End file.
